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Oral history interview with Dumitru Purici

Dumitru Purici, born in 1927 in Bolohan, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Bolohan; a roundup and deportation of local Jews by German soldiers; and witnessing the roundup and deportation of the Jews of Orhei in 1941, including their treatment by German and Romanian soldiers.

Interviewee

Dumitru Purici

Date

2008 December 20
(interview)

Extent

1 videocassette (DVCAM) : sound, color ; 1/4 in..

Credit Line

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, courtesy of the Jeff and Toby Herr Foundation

This is a witness interview of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Perpetrators, Collaborators, and Witnesses: The Jeff and Toby Herr Testimony Initiative, a multi-year project to record the testimonies of non-Jewish witnesses to the Holocaust. The interview was directed and supervised by Nathan Beyrak.

Funding Note

The production of this interview was made possible by Jeff and Toby Herr.

Also in Oral history interviews of the Moldova Documentation Project

Daniel Bradu, born in Fantanari, Pancova village, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1923, discusses his education and military training in school; the beginning of the war; being aware of mass shootings; being conscripted along with other students to dig and cover pits where a mass shooting occured; watching a mass shooting of the Jewish population by Romanian soldiers in fall 1941; deceptions told to the victims before shooting; the attitude of local population; and feelings of grief after these killings.

Mihail Dolganiuc, born in Șofrâncani, Edineț district, Romania (present day Șofrîncani, Moldova) in 1928, discusses the beginning of the war and the arrival of German and Romanian troops in June 1941; the dictates implemented by Germans in his village; hearing about the roundup and killing of 15 local Jewish people by a local Romanian gendarme; his father telling stories of some Jewish neighbors who escaped the shooting; the officer’s emotional reaction to the killing; and his feelings about the question of guilt and responsibility.

Tatiana Baran, born in Cosâuți, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1921, discusses a mass shooting of the local Jewish population; seeing the columns of prisoners walk by and hearing the shooting because it was next to her property; and her feelings about personal and governmental guilt and responsibility.

Petru Perciun, born in Parcani, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1929, discusses seeing convoys of Jews from the surrounding area passing through his village; how locals attempted to help the passing convoy; recognizing family friends; anti-Jewish violence by guards; and the fate of the Jewish families who fled the village before German forces arrived.

Alexei Manu, born in Cobalna, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1926, discusses warm prewar Christian-Jewish relations; the arrival of German forces; seeing a large convoy of Jewish men, women, and children who stopped for the night in Cobalna; learning they were on their way to a nearby concentration camp; the reactions of villagers to the convoy, including attempts to give the prisoners water and steal their belongings; realizing the guards were Romanian; and what happened to his Jewish nieghbors who returned to the village after the war.

Maria Manu Boldescu, born in Parcani, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1925, discusses the roundup of Jews in her village by Romanian soldiers in 1941; anti-Jewish violence by the Romanian guards; fleeing her village with her family; and seeing the shooting of a Jewish man who had been in hiding.

Dumitru Dubālaru, born in Parcani, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1927, discusses seeing a roundup of local Jews by German and Romanian forces; watching them being taken towards Russia; the shooting of those who could not walk by a local gendarme; the actions of villagers to bury the dead; and the looting of Jewish homes by local villagers and soldiers.

Ana Leneș, born in Gura Căinari, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1921, discusses watching a mass shooting of Jews by Romanian soldiers in 1941; the killing process; being mistaken as Jewish because of her looks; her escape; hearing about the existence of a concentration camp; other local anti-Jewish violence; and her thoughts on personal and governmental responsibility.

Marfa Cocieru, born in Gura Căinari, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1925, discusses watching a mass shooting of the area's Jews into a ravine; being driven from the site by Romanian soldiers; recognizing friends amongst the victims; hearing about locals looting Jewish belongings; and her family’s attitude toward their Jewish neighbors.

Constantine Vasile Tomcovici, born in Mărculești, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1931, discusses the arrival of German and Romanian forces in his village; watching the roundup and shooting of Jews by Romanian soldiers; anti-Jewish violence; fleeing with his family to another village; the formation of a ghetto there; providing food to a Jewish classmate; the removal of the ghetto; and looting by villagers and soldiers.

Gheorge Barbăscumpă, born in Bahrinesti, Bălți district, Romania (present day Băhrinești, Moldova) in 1927, discusses the bombing of his village and its environs by the Germans in 1941; the chaos in the village when German forces arrived; anti-Jewish violence by German and Romanian soldiers; the round up and imprisonment of local Jews in a concentration camp in nearby Mărculești; the harsh living conditions in the camp; and the postwar arrest and conviction of a local Romanian involved in the shootings.

Mihail Purice, born in Gura Camencii, Floreşti district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1926, discusses the outbreak of fighting between the Soviets and Germans in 1941; the arrival of German and Romanian troops; seeing convoys of Jews being taken to be shot; hearing the shooting; seeing the mass graves; not being permitted to watch the shootings; helping a pregnant Jewish woman; and his family’s relations with their Jewish neighbors before and during the war.

Lidia Molceanov, born in Tîrgul-Vertiujeni, Floreşti district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1930, discusses the arrival of Romanian forcess; the roundup and imprisonment of the Jewish population by Romanian soldiers; witnessing a mass shooting; anti-Jewish violence; the creation of a concentration camp in her village; providing food to the prisoners along with other children; living conditions in the camp; and relations amongst Christian and Jewish villagers and Romanian soldiers.

Valeriu Bogdan, born in Tîrgul-Vertiujeni, Floreşti district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1928, discusses the large Jewish population in his village before the war; prewar Jewish-Christian relations; his childhood and schooling; the arrival of German and Romanian forces; initial anti-Jewish violence by soldiers and locals; the creation of a concentration camp; the harsh conditions of the camp; seeing Jewish forced labor; a market organized so the Jewish prisoners could sell their goods for food; and sharing food with the prisoners in the camp.

Serghei Lujanski, born in Tîrgul-Vertiujeni, Floreşti district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1928, discusses his childhood in the village; Jewish villagers who fled before the fighting between the Soviets and Nazis broke out; the arrest and imprisonment of the Jewish people who stayed behind; seeing a mass shooting; the creation of a concentration camp in his village; living conditions in the camp; and Christian-Jewish relations during the war.

Gheorge Șeptelici, born in Butuceni, Rîbniţa district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1924, discusses a mass shooting of Jews in 1941; the torture and shooting of groups of Jews by Romanian forces; the burying of the bodies by villagers; and his feelings about the role of the government in the violence.

Miciu Sidor, born in Butuceni, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1923, discusses seeing the bodies of Jewish victims in the river; Jewish forced labor in the ghetto at Șoldanesti, Romania; living conditions in the ghetto; anti-Jewish violence by Romanian forces; and an event in which Romanian forces buried Jewish men, women, and children alive.

Pavel Portărescu, born in Marovaia, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1924, discusses witnessing individual killings of Jews in the village by Romanian forces; the fate of a group of Jews who were caught while in hiding; and his ability to identify Jewish people based on their looks and manner of speech.

Pavel Cojocaru, born in Orhei, Romania (present day Moldova), discusses his refusal to join the Red Army during the Soviet occupation; German bombings; pre-war Christian-Jewish relations in his village; the arrest and imprisonment of Jews by Romanian gendarmes; being forced to work in the gendarme office; witnessing the forced labor of Jews; the mass shooting of the local Jewish population; burying the bodies of an old Jewish couple found in a river; living conditions in the concentration camp in Chișinău; and entering the camp to buy goods from the prisoners.

Ignat Bobeică, born in Mașcăuți, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1914, discusses a mass shooting of Jews by local villagers and Romanian soldiers; the lack of consequences for local collaborators; and his views about guilt among the local population.

Ana Reznic, born in Rezina, Rezina district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1931, discusses the outbreak of war between Nazi Germany and the Soviets; seeing Jewish convoys being driven by Romanian guards towards Samaha; anti-Jewish violence by Romanian guards; hearing gunshots and learning that it was a mass shooting of Jews; fear of violence; and looting of Jewish goods by locals.

Vera Cecalina, born in Stocnaia, Rezina district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1924, discusses witnessing a mass killing of Jews in a river; fleeing to another village with her family to escape violence; and hearing about the looting of Jewish houses by local villagers.

Nadeja Cupciuc, born in Rezina, Rezina district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1932, discusses witnessing a mass killing of Jewish people in a river; looting by local villagers and Romanian forces; items taken by her family from Jewish homes; quartering Romanian soldiers in her family’s home; and the fate of Jewish property after the war.

Alexei Reznic, born in Cinişeuți, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1932, discusses the prewar Jewish community in Reznic; his father’s conscription by Romanian forces to transport Jewish people in the family’s cart; witnessing the execution of 12 Jewish people who escaped the transport; and anti-Jewish and anti-Communist violence committed by Romanian forces.

Agafia Cebotar, born in Saharna, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1927, discusses the prewar Jewish community in Saharna; anti-Jewish violence during the war; the formation of a ghetto in her village; witnessing Jewish forced labor; hearing about a mass shooting of Jews; deceptions told to the victims; a neighbor who hid a young boy; looting; her brother’s conscription along with other young people to transport their Jewish neighbors to the killing site; and hearing gunfire from the location of the killings.

Gheorge Straton, born in Orhei, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1920, discusses the roundup of the town’s Jewish population by Romanian forces into a ghetto; anti-Jewish violence; seeing widespread arrests and imprisonment of the city’s Jewish population; the local population’s attempts to provide food to those in the ghetto; the security surrounding the ghetto; looting of Jewish property; rumors of a mass shooting after the ghetto was emptied; methods German and Romanian forces used to identify Jewish people; and his experience being interrogated by German forces.

Petru Munteanu, born in Hîncești, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1920, discusses the roundup and shooting of the village’s Jewish population by Romanian forces; the killing process; and witnessing an incident in which an officer took a Jewish child away from the killing site with him.

Eugenia Babineţchi, born in Pîrliţa, Fălești district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1931, discusses the town’s prewar Jewish community; witnessing the roundup of the Jewish population; the condition of the Jewish prisoners being marched to the killing site; anti-Jewish violence by the Germans; executions of those who attempted to escape the convoy; and hearing about the concentration camp in Răuțel forest outside the village.

Vasile Frunze, born in Pîrlița, Fălești district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1931, discusses the village’s prewar Jewish community; the beginning of the war; bombings by both Germany and Romania; witnessing the round up of the village’s Jewish community; visiting the concentration camp in the forest at Răuțel outside the village; the harsh conditions in the camp; sneaking food into the camp; the emptying of the camp; anti-Jewish violence by German guards; the execution of those who attempted to escape the camp; the mobilization of local villagers to bury dead bodies; and the looting of Jewish property by local villagers.

Ion Scripnic, born in Răuțel, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1927, discusses being mobilized by Romanian forces to build the concentration camp Răuțel and to guard it; the harsh conditions and high death rate in the camp; villagers trading food for gold with the prisoners; and the emptying of the camp after four months.

Pavel Sicora, born in Răuţel, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1926, discusses the concentration camp Răuțel; the harsh conditions in the camp; the selection of villagers to deliver food to the camp; seeing the camp during his father’s delivery; hearing about the emptying of the camp; and not knowing what happened to the prisoners.

Eguenia Stanciu, born in Limbenii Noi, Glodeni district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1923, discusses the Jewish families who lived in her village before the war; the roundup and imprisonment of large numbers of Jewish people in her town when the war began; briefly hiding two Jewish girls in her family’s home; getting caught by Romanian soldiers; the harsh conditions in the holding area; and anti-Jewish violence by Romanian soldiers.

Vasile Luchian, born in Limbenii Noi, Goldeni district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1921, discusses seeing a convoy of Jews being led by Romanian forces through town; being mobilized by Romanian forces to guard the camp; the physical description of the camp; burying dead bodies in a trench; villagers giving prisoners food; the fate of the Jewish families of Limbenii Noi; and the closing of the camp.

Elena Picovici, born in Bălcăuţi, Briceni district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1929, discusses anti-Jewish violence by Romanian soldiers and local villagers; the fate of individual Jews in her town; conditions for altruistic behavior; the burial of the dead and injured; and violence against communist youth.

Nina Ghilas, born in Volcinet, Edinet district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1931, discusses early roundups of Jews when German and Romanian forces entered the city; a description of the concentration camp set up next to her family’s home; the harsh conditions in the camp; her family’s role in hiding Jewish families; their fear of discovery and reprisal; the looting of Jewish property by villagers; her family’s fate after the war; and her memories of the strength of the prewar Jewish community.

Dimitrii Dizdari, born in Bălcauți, Briceni district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1918, discusses the arrival of Romanian forces in Bălcauți; the roundup and shooting of the village’s Jewish community; the names of individual Jewish people killed; and the burial of the dead.

Boris Tcaciuc, born in Briceni, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1932, discusses the size of the prewar Jewish community; the round up and removal of the Jewish population by Romanian forces; Jewish forced labor; anti-Jewish violence; and the looting of Jewish property by local villagers.

Dumitru Babii, born in Lipcani, Briceni district, Romania (present day Moldova) in 1924, discusses having a Jewish father and Christian mother; his parents’ relationship; the rounding up of the town’s Jewish population in a makeshift prison; the harsh conditions in the enclosure; attempting to help a Jewish friend; sexual assault; a mass shooting; looting of Jewish property; the burial of the dead; quartering Romanian forces in village houses; and how Romanian forces mobilized the town’s young.

Vasile Stoian, born in 1926 in Olăneşti, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Olăneşti; his recruitment into the Soviet Army; witnessing roundups of Jews from Olăneşti and nearby communities; seeing convoys of Jews passing through his village escorted by Romanian soldiers; their treatment by the Romanian soldiers; local townspeople giving food and water to the Jews; a local townsman caught hiding a Jewish man; Romanian soldiers looting Jewish owned belongings; and the deportation of local Roma.

Stepanida Stoian, born in 1931 in Olăneşti, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Olăneşti; the presence of Czechoslovakian and German soldiers in her hometown; Soviet soldiers hanging a group of Jewish men in 1940; the deportation of both local Jews and Jews from the surrounding communities; and the evacuation of Olănești in 1941 because of the battles fought nearby.

Anastasia Brăguţă, born in 1925 in Olăneşti, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Olăneşti; a roundup and deportation of local Jews by German soldiers; a local townsman caught hiding a Jewish man; the deportation of local Roma; and the hanging of Soviet spies.

Ion Niţelea, born in 1923 in Olăneşti, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Olăneşti; Romanian soldiers searching for Soviet soldiers and spies; roundups and mass shootings of the Jewish population by Romanian soldiers; the looting of Jewish owned belongings by local townspeople; the murder of two Jews suspected of being spies; the deportation of Romanian Roma; the murder of a Romani child by Romanian soldiers; and the evacuation of Olăneşti because of battles fought nearby.

Leonid Pocladiuc, born in 1925 in Hînceşti, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Hînceşti; the evacuation of many local Jews with the retreating Soviet Army in 1941; Romanian soldiers searching for Jews who did not evacuate; the mass shooting of the town's Jews by Romanian soldiers; and relatives of the victims returning after the war to relocate the bodies to a cemetery.

Gheorghe Ghenea, born in 1923 in Cazangic, Romania (present day Moldova), describes a Jewish family who lived in his village; the brutalization and murder of the Jewish family by citizens and Romanian soldiers in 1941; sheltering the only surviving son of the Jewish family; the deportation of the local Jewish community; the looting of Jewish owned belongings by local townspeople; the killing of some townspeople by a group of Romanians and Jews; and the killing of his father.

Ecaterîna Krivopișco, born 1924 in Matskovtsy, Ukraine, describes her education and work in Lubne; lodging in the house of a Jewish family in 1941; the roundup, deportation, and mass shooting of the Jewish community, including details of a mass shooting by German soldiers; the role of local townspeople in capturing and surrendering Jews; the looting of victims' bodies and Jewish owned homes by local townspeople; the threat of death hiding Jews; the murder of local Roma by German soldiers; her forced labor in Frankfurt, Germany; escaping from Germany; and being sent to work as a nurse in western Ukraine after the war.

Vasile Sopcu, born in 1929 in Ghidighici, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Ghidighici; crimes committed by German soldiers; the forced labor of the Jews in the local quarry; the mass murder of the Jewish community by German soldiers; and the false charges that his father killed a German soldier.

Ion Sandu, born in 1930 in Călăraşi, Romania (present day Moldova) describes traveling with his mother to Voinova, Moldova at the beginning of the war; witnessing a mass shooting of groups of Jews in a forest; German soldiers searching for Jews; and the bombing of Jewish owned homes and goods.

Olga Roşcovan, born in 1928 in Budăi, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of her hometown; the flight of local Jews before the arrival of German forces; a Jewish man who was sheltered by local townspeople; the looting of Jewish owned homes by local townspeople; the burning of her village; violence against the civilian population during the war; an incident involving a group of Soviet soldiers and a German soldier in 1944; and a Jewish woman who was killed with her two children by local townspeople under threat from Soviet soldiers in 1945.

Nona Gajion, born in 1930 in Teleneşti, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Teleneşti; the persecution of the Jewish population by German soldiers; roundups of Jews; the execution of the Jewish community and their burial outside of town; an incident in which a Soviet plane crashed and the survivors were later killed by Romanian soldiers; the looting of Jewish owned belongings by local townspeople; and several Jews who returned to Teleneşti after the war.

Gheorghe Ţurcan, born in 1931 in Ineşti, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Ineşti; local Jews who fled with retreating Soviet forces; a roundup and mass shooting of Jews by Romanian soldiers; an incident in which a little girl was thrown into a mass grave alive; the use of his father's wagon to transport victims' bodies; and the burning of Jewish owned homes.

Serghei Veșca, born in 1925 in Budăi, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the burning of the town of Teleneşti in 1941; a mass shooting of Jews by German and Romanian soldiers; and local townspeople who looted Jewish owned homes.

Damian Dica, born in 1925 in Budai, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Budai; life under the Soviet and then German occupation; a mass shooting of Jews by German soldiers; the burning of Jewish owned homes; and a Jewish man who escaped from a mass grave and managed to hide from German and Romanian soldiers for the duration of the war.

Afansie Axentiuc, born in 1923 in Pociumbăuţi, Romania (present day Moldova), describes a roundup, deportation, and mass shooting of Pociumbăuţi Jews by Romanian gendarmes in 1941; a Jewish man who set his house on fire and killed himself and his family, rather than be deported; a communist villager who was saved by a Cuzist villager from being killed; the deportation of the Roma population; and the construction of a monument for those who died during the war.

Maria Barschi, born in 1923 in Stolniceni, Romania (present day Molodva), describes the prewar Jewish community of Stolniceni; a roundup and shooting of Jews from Stolniceni and the surrounding areas; and the looting of Jewish owned belongings by local townspeople.

Chirilă Zara, born in 1923 in Pociumbăuţi, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the beginning of the war and the arrival of German, Italian, and Romanian forces in his village; a Jewish man who set his house on fire and killed his family and himself; his father acting as an informant to the German authorities, but not denouncing any of the communists in his village; an incident in which a Jewish woman who had been in hiding was caught and sent to a concentration camp; and the killing of two Jewish women.

Justina Skreabatovskaia, born in 1928 in Rashopintsy (Rozkopyntsi), Ukraine, describes the prewar Jewish community of Sokiryany, Ukraine; a shooting of Jews by Romanian soldiers; local townspeople looting Jewish owned belongings; Romanian soldiers hunting Jews who attempted to escape; and witnessing the baptism of a Jewish baby left by her parents during a roundup.

Ana Cervata, born in 1927 in Raskopintsy (Rozkopyntsi) village, Ukraine, describes the prewar Jewish community of the nearby town Sochireni (Sokyriany); the sight of a column of Jewish men being led through town; the establishment of a concentration camp outside Sochireni; the harsh conditions in the camp; and Soviet soldiers forcing local townspeople to uncover the corpses of Jews killed by Romanian and German soldiers.

Gregorii Alexeevich Serbin, born in 1928 in Tiraspol, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes his family evacuating Tiraspol to Novo Anaxia upon the arrival of German and Romanian forces; witnessing a mass shooting of Jews by German and Romanian soldiers; his capture by German and Romanian soldiers and imprisonment in a concentration camp; escaping the camp; and a nearby concentration camp for Jews.

Larisa Antonovna Berberyan, born in 1931 in Tiraspol, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes her prewar Jewish neighbors; living in Odessa, Ukraine during the war; the beginning of the war, including the bombardment of Odessa in 1941; life under German occupation, including the registration of Jewish civilians and murders committed by German soldiers; the sight of a column of Jews being led to execution; the mass murder of the Jews of Odessa; the executions of communists; the differences between German and Romanian soldiers; and the occupation of Jewish property by local townspeople during the war.

Irina Lukianova Skakun, born in Kazaneshty, Romania (present day Moldova), describes escaping with her family to Rudnitsa, Ukraine during the war; the arrest of her family by German gendarmes in 1942 and their imprisonment in a concentration camp outside of Groslovo; being a subject of medical experimentation; the harsh conditions of the camp, including beatings and starvation; local townspeople bringing food to the prisoners; a mass execution of Roma and Jews in the camp prior to the arrival of her family; her family sheltering a Jewish boy in the camp to save his life; liberation by the Soviet Army in 1944; and the health of her family after the war.

Dmitrii Zaharovich Kojuharev, born in Dubasari, Ukraine (Dubăsari, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Dubasari; the arrival of Geman forces; the roundups, forced marches, and mass shootings of Jews by German soldiers in 1941; an incident in which his aunt was mistaken for a Jewish woman and nearly killed; the persecution of the Roma and communists; the poor treatment of local townspeople by Romanian gendarmes; the looting of Jewish owned homes and belongings by local townspeople and German soldiers; and his recruitment into the army as a translator.

Vera Fiodorovna Shvets, born in Dubossari, Ukraine (Dubăsari, Moldova), describes the bombing of Dubossari; the treatment of the local townspeople during the occupation; the sight of a convoy of Jews; her mother helping a family to obtain forged documents; a shooting of Jews; and the looting of Jewish owned clothes.

Filip Efremovich Kotsofan, born in Dubasari, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the German invasion of Dubasari in 1941; the mass shooting of activists by German soldiers; life under the German occupation; a mass shooting of the Jewish population; the removal of gold items from Jews; and his forced labor in Gemany and eventual return to Dubasari.

Efimia Boghean, born in 1918 in Doibani village, Ukraine (present day commune in Dubăsari, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Doibani village; the arrival of Romanian forces; the mass shooting of local Jews by Romanian soldiers; the departure of Romanian soldiers after the shooting; the arrival of German forces and murder of villagers who had held administrative positions during the Soviet occupation; and the reburial of the non-Jewish victims after the arrival of the Soviet Army.

Vladimir Grigorievich Dicusar, born in 1926 in Doibani, Moldova (a commune in Dubăsari, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Doibani; the invasion of Romanian forces; the mass shooting of Jews in 1941 by German soldiers; pro-German propaganda; the shooting of resistance fighters and activists by German soldiers; the arrival of Soviet forces in 1944; and the reburial of the shooting victims in 1944.

Leonid Onufrievich Dabija, born in 1936 in Odai village, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes moving to Dubasari; a roundup and mass shooting of Jews by Romanian and German soldiers; the arrest of local communists; and the reburial of the bodies of the Jewish victims after the war.

Lidia Grigorievna Solovieva, born in 1930 in Dubăsari, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the persecution of the town's Jews by Nazis; the imprisonment of citizens in the basement of a local hospital; the burning of the hospital by German soldiers; and details of a mass shooting of Jews.

Elena Pavlovna Ilinitskaya, born in 1930 in Erjova village, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Erjova; the deportation of her family to Ochakovo, Russia in 1942, and their return to Erjova in 1943; the imprisonment of Jews in a basement in the local collective farm, guarded by Romanian soldiers; bringing food to the prisoners; the deportation of the Jews in wagons; two Jewish fugitives; local collaborators; and the murder of two teenagers because of their open support of the Soviet Union.

Vera Timofeevna Sokolova, born in Rybnitsa, Ukraine (present day Ribnița, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Rybnitsa; life in Rybnitsa under German and Romanian occupation; the conscription of her husband; the warehouse in which local Jews were imprisoned; the establishment of ghettos; the formation of a concentration camp for prisoners from Romania and Bessarabia; the cruel treatment of the prisoners by Romanian guards; bringing food to the prisoners; the shooting of the Jewish community; the looting of Jewish owned belongings; the treatment of Soviet prisoners; and Jewish survivors of the Holocaust.

Iulia Emelianovna Slavinskaya, born in 1925 in Rashkov, Ukraine (present day Raşcov, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Rashkov; searches for Jews conducted by Romanian soldiers; witnessing shootings and drownings of Jews by Romanian soldiers; hiding a Jewish woman and her family for the duration of the war; the looting of Jewish owned belongings by local townspeople; and the return of some Jewish families after the war.

Akilina Alexeevna Mosendz, born in 1929 in Rashkov, Ukraine (present day Raşcov, Moldova), describes her family and the drafting of her father into the military; the prewar Jewish community of Rashkov; the bombing of Rashkov; the arrival of German and Romanian forces; the arrival of Jews from Bessarabia; mass shootings of Jews and communists; the search for communists and Jews in the homes of local townspeople; local townspeople hiding Jews for the duration of the war; the looting of Jewish owned property; and the Jews who returned to Rashkov after the war.

Mihail Vozfdomeevice Shtirba, born in 1924 in Kamenka, Ukraine (present day Camenca, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Kamenka; the beginning of the war and life under occupation by German and Romanian forces; a roundup of Jews and their imprisonment; a mass shooting of Jews; a mass drowning of Jews by Romanian soldiers; local townspeople hiding Jews during the war; and an incident in which German soldiers shot a Romani man in a bar in 1942.

Pavel Gavrilovich Samonii, born in Kamenka, Ukraine (present day Camenca, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Kamenka; the collective farm in Kamenka; restrictions placed upon local townspeople during occupation; the imprisonment of Jews in the local school; gendarmes' attempt to humiliate Jews by forcing them to dance around a campfire; the mass drownings of Jews by Nazis and Romanian soldiers; and Romanian soldiers searching the homes of local townspeople for Jews.

Nadejda Ivanovna Savitskaya, born in Rashkov, Ukraine (present day Raşcov, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Rashkov; the invasion of German forces in 1941; her father aiding in the evacuation of her town, particularly the Jewish community; life in Rashkov under Romanian occupation, including her forced labor; roundups of Jews to the local stadium; attempting to aid the prisoners; hiding a Jewish woman for the duration of the war; the treatment of local townspeople by Romanian gendarmes, which included frequent sexual assaults; shootings of Jews; and partisan forces taking her village from German and Romanian forces.

Gheorghe Popa, born in 1929 in Starye Tatarovka, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the sight of columns of Jews being escorted by Romanian soldiers; Romanian soldiers murdering a Jewish baby in Badiceni village; and the burning of the center of Zgurita in 1941.

Olena Cucereava, born in 1915 in Zguriţa, Romania (present day Moldova), describes German soldiers removing Jews from their homes and burning their houses; the looting of Jewish owned homes by local townspeople; the imprisonment of Jews on a nearby hill; the deportation of the Jewish community; Romanian soldiers searching the homes of local townspeople for hidden Jews; and the return of one local Jewish man after the war.

Agafia Guțu, born in 1926 in Zguriţa, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Zguriţa; the burning of Jewish owned homes; the mass murder of Jews by German soldiers; Jews hiding in a nearby forest; the treatment of the Jews in hiding by local townspeople; and hiding in 1944 to avoid being raped by soldiers.

Mihail Cărăus, born in 1928 in Scăieni village, Romania (present day Scăieni, Donduşeni, Moldova), describes witnessing a shooting of a group of Jews by Romanian soldiers in 1941; the sight of columns of Jews being marched by Romanian soldiers through his town; a shooting of Jews by local townspeople; local townspeople looting Jewish owned belongings; and the hanging of a local collaborator in 1944.

Grigore Burbulea, born in 1928 in Scăieni village, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the shooting of a group of Jews by Romanian soldiers in 1941 and the sight of columns of deported Jews passing through his village.

Fiodor Rotari, born in 1930 in Scăieni village, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the sight of a column of Jews passing his hometown; the treatment of the Jews in the column by the Romanian guards; the shooting of the Jews who could no longer march; the looting of Jewish owned belongings by Romanian soldiers and local townspeople; and the hanging of a local collaborator in 1944.

Vasile Bordeianu, born in 1929 in Scăieni village, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the shooting of a group of Jews by Romanian soldiers in 1941; the sight of columns of Jews passing through his hometown; and the shooting of Jews from the column by local townspeople who then looted their belongings.

Tudor Bucătaru, born in 1927 in Frasin village, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Frasin; the sight of a column of Jews being escorted by Romanian soldiers who stopped outside of his village for a night; a mass shooting of Jews by local townspeople who looted their belongings; and the imprisonment of a local collaborator in 1944 by Soviet forces.

Sofia Bantus, born in 1932 in Frasin village, Romania (present day Moldova), describes columns of Jews passing through her village in 1941; shootings of groups of Jews from the column by German soldiers; the looting of the victims' belongings; and an incident in which a pregnant Jewish woman escaped from the column, hid in a nearby house to give birth, and was then captured and killed.

Ivan Krijanovschi, born in 1922 in Rotunda, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Rotunda; the killing of local townspeople by Romanian soldiers; roundups of Jews by Romanian soldiers; the looting of Jewish owned homes by local townspeople; the creation of a concentration camp in 1942 for the imprisonment of Jews; the sight of a column of Jews escorted by Romanian soldiers; local collaborators who assisted in the mass murder of Jews; witnessing the forced labor of a group of Jews in 1942; and the imprisonment of local collaborators after the war.

Evghenii Televca, born in 1919 in Cepeleuţi, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Cepeleuţi; the beginning of the war; the mass shooting of the Jewish population by Romanian soldiers and local townspeople; and the looting of Jewish owned belongings by local townspeople.

Filip Cebotari, born in 1930 in Cepeleuţi, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Cepeleuţi; the mass murder of local Jews by Romanian soldiers; a column of Jews convoyed by Romanian soldiers through his town; rumors of the mass drowning of Jews in the Nistru river; and the looting of Jewish owned property by local townspeople.

Vasile Morei, born in 1920 in Cepeleuţi, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Cepeleuţi; the roundup and mass murder of Jews by Romanian soldiers and local townspeople; his father forbidding him to loot Jewish owned property; visiting the mass grave of Jewish victims; the Edineţi concentration camp, including his role in transporting Jewish prisoners there; local townspeople robbing Jewish prisoners; and an order that stolen Jewish valuables must be brought to the authorities.

Nicholae Bersan, born in 1927 in Lencăuţi, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the beginning of the war; the murder of a Jewish boy by Romanian soldiers; a column of Jews escorted by Romanian soldiers passing through his hometown; a local townswoman who murdered a Jewish woman; hearing about a mass drowning of Jews; and his forced labor.

Maria Bularga, born in 1924 in Mereşeuca, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the Jewish ghetto of Moghilev Podolsk; selling food to the Jews in the ghetto; the sight of a column of Jews driven through Serebria; local townspeople giving food to the deported Jews; the mass shootings of Jews into the Nistru River; and the sight of corpses in the river.

Gavril Tirnovschi, born in 1927 in Vălcineţ, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the relationship of his family with his Jewish neighbors; the prewar Jewish community of Vălcineţ; the sight of German soldiers driving columns of Jews toward the Nistru River; and details of the mass shootings of the Jewish population.

Liuba Filipciuc, born in 1930 in Vălcineţ, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Vălcineţ; the sight of Romanian soldiers guarding columns of Jews; throwing food to the Jews; watching a Jewish woman drown her two children and herself in the Nistru River; the sight of Romanian soldiers driving Soviet prisoners along the road; traveling to the train station to watch the deportation and treatment of Jews; the robbing of Jewish prisoners by local townspeople; and the fates of local perpetrators after the war.

Dumitru Burcovschi, born in 1912 in Sauca, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Sauca; the mass murder of local Jews by German soldiers; a local townsman burying the victims and looting their clothing; the treatment of the imprisoned Jews by German soldiers; finding the body of a Jewish woman who had been tortured; and learning of the the mass shooting of Jews in Bender, Moldova from a survivor of the killings.

Olga Breba, born in 1924 in Sauca, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the passing of a column of Jews guarded by Romanian and German soldiers; the treatment of the Jews in the column; her interactions with a Jewish classmate in the column; her mother's attempt to help the Jewish classmate, but being refused by a soldier; and the murder of her Jewish neighbors.

Petr Filipciuc, born in 1921 in Vălcineţ, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Vălcineţ; columns of Jews passing through his village; serving in the premilitary; being called, as premilitary, to help guard a column of Jews for the night; the mass drowning of Jews; assisting a Jewish man who escaped the drowning; working on the reconstruction of a bridge in 1942 alongside Jews from the Moghilev Podolsk ghetto; the drowning of some Jews in the Dniester River; the Moghilev Podolsk ghetto; the sight of Jews being transported in cattle cars; and local townspeople going to the train station with the hope of taking Jewish belongings.

Liubovi Prudeus, born in 1932 in Ivanovca, Ukraine (Ivanovca, Ribnița district, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of the area surrounding her hometown; the Jewish acquaintances of her mother; the sight of a convoy of Jews from Kodyma, Ukraine guarded by Romanian soldiers; the shooting of an elderly man who could no longer walk; her neighbors burying the victim; hiding a Jewish woman and her grandchild; the treatment of local townspeople by Romanian soldiers; and antisemitic rumors spread by Romanian soldiers.

Eudochia Cucea, born in 1931 Broşteni, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Broşteni; Soviet soldiers committing arson; the arrest and disappearance of the parents of one Jewish family; actions taken by the village to protect the children of that family, including different townspeople hiding the children and the assistance of a local policeman; an order by Romanian soldiers for local villagers to search for hidden Jews; and hearing about two convoys of Jews driven by Romanian soldiers in 1941.

Vasile Raiskii, born in 1923 in Broşteni, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the Jewish families in prewar Broşteni; the arrival of German and Romanian soldiers; the site where a Jewish family was killed by Romanian soldiers; transporting Jews to the train station of Slobidka, Ukraine; convoys of Jews being transported toward Slobozia; their treatment by Romanian soldiers; the Rîbnița ghetto; Romanian guards in the ghetto; forced labor of the imprisoned Jews; the murder of two communists by Romanian soldiers; and the exhumation and reburial of the murdered communists in 1947.

Maria Semenovna Kovaliciuk, born 1927 in Ghidirim, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes a convoy of Jews led by Romanian soldiers; a mass shooting of Jews in the Dniester River by Romanian soldiers; a Jewish boy who survived the shooting and the war with the assistance of local townspeople; and the treatment of local townspeople by Romanian soldiers.

Tihon Stucnean, born in 1929 in Ghidirim, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the Jewish families in prewar Ghidirim; Jewish families evacuating to Chisinau before the arrival of German and Romanian forces; the sight of a column of Jewish prisoners guarded by Romanian soldiers; a mass shooting of Jews in the Dniester River; and the sight of corpses floating in the river.

Maria Curdi, born in 1927 in Ghidirim, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the Jewish families living in prewar Ghidirim; local townspeople hiding the Jewish families for the duration of the war, enabling their survival; the arrest of communist villagers; the sight of a convoy of Jews guarded by Romanian soldiers; their disappearance several days later; local townspeople trading food to Romanian soldiers for Jewish belongings; and the sight of corpses in the Dniester River.

Andrei Ovcear, born in 1924 in Gherşunovca, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Gherşunovca; the roundup of local Jews by Romanian soldiers and their imprisonment in the Colbasna barracks; witnessing Romanian soldiers driving a group of Jews toward a town; the mass murder of the Jewish population; the sight of a mass grave; the arrest of local communists; and local townspeople from the surrounding areas purchasing formerly Jewish owned homes after the war.

Piotr Ovcear, born in 1924 in Gherşunovca, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes transporting local Jews to Colbasna, Moldova, including an elderly couple who had attempted to commit suicide; the mass shooting of the Jewish population by Romanian soldiers; the mass grave of Jewish victims; giving food to two Jewish girls who survived the shooting; and local townspeople who hid a Jewish teacher for the duration of the war.

Vasile Levinski, born in 1923 in Țibulevca, Ukraine (present day Țîbuleuca, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Țibulevca; local Jewish families evacuating alongside retreating Soviet forces; the arrival of Romanian forces; the shooting of the remaining Jews and communists in Ţibulevca; the poor treatment of local townspeople by Romanian soldiers; and the sight of corpses in the Dniester River.

Fedot Petrenco, born in 1925 in Butuceni, Ukraine (present day Butuceni, Rîbniţa, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Jura village; the arrival of Romanian forces; the torture of a Jewish man by Romanian soldiers in the Dniester River; a roundup of local Jews by Romanian soldiers; hearing discussions regarding the mass shooting of the Jewish community; the sight of corpses floating in the Dniester River in 1941 or 1942; and the rape of a local woman by Romanian soldiers.

Ilia Nogacevski, born in 1925 in Butuceni, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Butuceni; the decision of the Jewish families in Butuceni not to evacuate to the Ukraine; his family hiding a Jewish family; the arrest of his father and the raid on his house by Romanian soldiers; the relocation of the Jewish families to the Rîbnița ghetto; bringing food to the Jewish families in the ghetto; witnessing a mass shooting of Jews; the sight of corpses in the Dniester River; and the survival and return of the local Jewish families after the war.

Pelagheia Bouregru, born in 1928 in Ofatinti, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the sight of corpses in the Dniester River; the reactions of local townspeople to the murders; and being told by her father about Romanian soldiers pushing Jews into the river.

Alexandra Beleca, born in 1922 in Ofatinti, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes finding the corpse of a woman in a Jewish owned home; the sight of corpses floating on the Dniester River; and learning that the drowned victims were Jewish people who were killed by Romanian soldiers.

Piotr Taran, born in 1925 in Ofatinți, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community in Ofatinți; a local villager who hid Jews during the war; the mass shootings and drownings of Jews by German and Romanian soldiers, including details of the mass murders; the sight of corpses floating in the Dniester River; a roundup of Jews in Rîbnița by Romanian soldiers; being drafted into the Soviet Army in 1944; and the sight of a mass grave of Jewish victims.

Nicolae Costov, born in 1926 in Săseni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Săseni; the evacuation of some Jewish families with Soviet forces; the arrest of the remaining Jewish population by Romanian gendarmes; the imprisonment of Jews in the cellar of a house; hearing the prisoners ask for water; and details of a mass shooting of Jews by Romanian gendarmes in 1941.

Vladimir Aga, born in 1930 in Săseni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Săseni; the arrest of Jewish families by Romanian soldiers and their imprisonment in a cellar; the mass shooting of local Jews; and the sight of the mass grave.

Pavel Nadrag, born in 1933 in Săseni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes individual murders of Jews by Romanian soldiers and details of a mass shooting of a group of Jews who were escorted to the killing site by local collaborators.

David Popa, born in 1927 in Bravicea, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Bravicea; the evacuation of some Jewish families with the retreating Soviet forces; the roundup and treatment of the remaining Jewish families; details of the mass shooting of the Jewish population by local collaborators; the looting of Jewish owned clothing; an incident in which he attempted to stop a Jewish family from entering the village because of the danger; and the escape of a local collaborator after the war.

Evghenia Băt, born in 1925 in Bravicea, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Bravicea; the roundup of local Jews by German and Romanian soldiers and their imprisonment in a cellar; the mass shooting of local Jews; and the looting of Jewish owned property.

Silvestru Băt, born in 1923 in Bravicea, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Bravicea; the evacuation of some Jewish families with retreating Soviet forces; the roundup and arrest of the remaining Jewish families following the arrival of German forces; details of their imprisonment; and the mass shooting of the Jewish population by local collaborators.

Andrei Vulpe, born in 1931 in Pepeni, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Pepeni; local teachers encouraging antisemitic acts committed by students; the gathering of Jews in Pepeni from the surrounding villages in 1941; the arrest of a prominent Jewish politician by a Romanian commander; the roundup of the Jewish community of Pepeni and their imprisonment in the village hall building; some Jewish families who fled Pepeni; bringing food to imprisoned Jews; the mass murder of the Jewish population by Romanian soldiers; local collaborators who assisted in the mass killing; the looting and auction of Jewish owned belongings; a local townswoman assisting a Soviet soldier; the return of the Jewish families who survived the war in 1944; and the postwar punishment of local collaborators.

Semion Brega, born in 1930 in Pepeni, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Pepeni; the evacuation of some Jews and the arrest of the remaining Jewish population in the local town hall after the arrival of Romanian forces; his father's decision to relocate his family outside of the town the night of the mass murder of the Jewish community; the sight of corpses from the mass murder; local collaborators who assisted in the killing of Jews; and the looting of a Jewish owned home.

Maria Terehovschi, born in 1932 in Climăuți, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Climăuți; a local townsman who hid a Jewish family; seeing a column of Jews marching through her hometown; bringing water to a girl in the column and being given a cushion in return; hearing from her parents that the entire Jewish community was murdered; the sight of corpses on the side of the road; and the return of a local Jewish man after the war.

Ecaterina Rusu, born in 1929 in Pîrliţa, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Pîrliţa; anti-Jewish rumors told by local townspeople; local townspeople looting Jewish owned homes; her participation in the looting of Jewish owned homes with other children; the sight of a dead Jewish woman in her home; the roundup of the local Jewish community by German soldiers; the mass shooting of the Jewish population by German soldiers at a ravine; and the return of some Jews to Pîrliţa after the war.

Fedor Irimca, born in 1933 in Pîrlița, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the sight of a German soldier digging a grave and learning about how German and Romanian soldiers murdered the local Jewish community in 1941.

Elena Buftea, born in 1930 in Bravicea, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Bravicea; the evacuation of some Jewish families; the mass shooting of the remaining Jewish community by local townsmen in 1941; and the looting of Jewish owned property by local townspeople.

Ion Varzari, born in 1931 in Bravicea, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the imprisonment of the Jewish community of Bravicea in the cellars of two buildings; the mass shooting of the Jewish community by local townsmen; and the burying of the victims by local townspeople.

Maria Munteanu, born in 1929 in Bravicea, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the roundup and imprisonment of local Jews in the town hall in 1941; the treatment of the prisoners; the mass shooting of the Jewish community by local townspeople; and the burying of the victims by local townspeople.

Evdochia Ilieva, born in 1928 in Oxentea, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes a forced march of a group of Jews guarded by German and Romanian soldiers in Susleni, Moldova; hearing about mass murders of Jews; speaking with a German soldier who participated in the mass murder; witnessing the arrest of a Jewish woman by a Romanian soldier in Oxentea; and the sight of corpses in the Dniester River.

Ion Antir, born in 1931 in Oneşti, Romania (present day Oneşti, Străşeni, Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Oneşti; witnessing a mass shooting of Jews by Romanian soldiers; details of the mass shooting; and the return of a local Jewish man after the war.

Ecaterina Nasușnîi, born in 1915 in Codreanca, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Codreanca; antisemitic activity before the war; evacuating to the home of her in-laws in Dubova village (Dubău, Moldova) at the beginning of the war; the sight of a group of evacuating Jews who were caught by German and Italian soldiers and shot; a Jewish woman in an interfaith marriage who was almost arrested but saved by the actions of her father-in-law and local townspeople; the arrest of her husband for supporting the Soviet regime; hearing stories about the torture of imprisoned Jews; the mass murder of the Jews of Codreanca, including their treatment by Romanian soldiers; a local townswoman who hid a Jewish girl, but was betrayed by a neighbor; the mass murder of Soviet and Ukranian prison inmates by Romanian soldiers in 1944; the trial of local collaborators by Soviet authorities after the war; and the return of the Roma after the war.

Ilie Grădinămare, born in 1926 in Codreanca, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Codreanca; the mass murder of the Jewish community by Romanian soldiers and local townspeople; onlookers to the mass shootings; and the rape and murder of Jewish women and girls by Romanian soldiers.

Ion Vlas, born in 1932 in Codreanca, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community in Codreanca; prewar Jewish persecution by Cuzists; Romanian soldiers looting stores and giving candy to children; local townspeople showing Romanian soldiers Jewish owned homes; the mass shooting of the Jewish population from Onesti village by Romanian soldiers; the looting of Jewish owned belongings by local townspeople; and a local townswoman's attempt to save a Jewish child who was subsequently killed by a Romanian gendarme in 1944.

Margareta Chiorescu, born in 1932 in Codreanca, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Codreanca; the looting of Jewish owned homes; the adoption of Jewish children into non-Jewish homes; the mass shooting of the Jewish community by local townspeople; details about collaborators who assisted in the murder of Jews; and a local Jewish man who returned after the war.

Eugenia Cojocari, born in 1928 in Codreanca, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the mass shooting of the local Jewish community by Romanian soldiers; local townspeople looting and burying the corpses; a townsperson's attempt to save a Jewish child; and the looting of Jewish owned property.

Fiodor Colun, born in 1929 in Codreanca, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the imprisonment of the Jewish community of Codreanca; the mass shooting of the Jewish community by Romanian soldiers; and local townspeople looting Jewish owned property and burying the corpses.

Alexei Toderas, born in 1921 in Dubna, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Dubna; the murder of a local Jewish family by Romanian soldiers; the mass shooting of prisoners of war in 1941 by Romanian soldiers; witnessing a column of Jews being taken toward Vertiujeni concentration camp; conditions in Vertiujeni concentration camp; and the murder of several local townspeople by Romanian soldiers.

Efim Sochirca, born in 1922 in Dubna, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Dubna; assisting in the deportation of Jews from their homes to concentration camps; the treatment of Jews by local collaborators, including beatings and robbery; details about Vertiujeni concentration camp; and the capture of some Jews who escaped the initial roundup.

Constantin Blajevschi, born in 1926 in Alexeevca, Romania (present day Alexeevca, Floreşti District, Moldova), describes visiting Marculesti concentration camp in 1941 to trade food for Jewish owned belongings; conditions in Marculesti concentration camp; a mass shooting of Jews committed by Romanian soldiers; the deportation and murder of a local Jewish family; and the sight of convoys of Jews passing through Floresti.

Mihail Focșa, born in 1925 in Dominteni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Dominteni; the attempt of local Jewish families to evacuate; the imprisonment of both local and non-local Jews in a cellar; the torture of prisoners by the chief of the gendarmerie; a mass murder of Jews by members of the gendarmerie; and the sight of a convoy of Jews in 1941.

Fevronia Cantemir, born in 1920 in Dominteni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Dominteni; the roundup of the Jewish community by Romanian soldiers; a concentration camp outside of Dominteni, including the Jewish inmates from the surrounding area and the conditions in the camp; a mass shooting of Jews by Romanian soldiers; and the looting of Jewish owned property by local townspeople.

Ion Smigon, born in 1923 in Dominteni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes local Cuzist members; a convoy of Jews driven by Romanian gendarmes stopping in a field outside his town for the night; the arrest of a local Jewish man who later hanged himself; and the looting of Jewish owned property.

Ion Leahu, born in 1918 in Dominteni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes his illness in 1941 which prevented him from being drafted into the army; hearing about the mass drowning of local Jews in a nearby pond; the looting of Jewish owned property by local townspeople; and the imprisonment of Jews from Balti, Moldova and surrounding villages outside his town in 1941.

Fiodor Șchiopu, born in 1925 in Ocolin, Ukraine (present day Moldova), describes the arrest of the local Jewish community by Romanian soldiers; two Jewish men who hid in the attic of his house and then left after speaking with his father; digging mass graves; witnessing a mass murder of Jews; details of the mass murder; hearing about mass murders in other towns; the sight of a column of Jews being transported through his village; and giving the Soviet KGB information about local collaborators in 1944.

Procop Țibirnac, born in 1920 in Petreni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Petreni; Jewish families from surrounding areas sheltering in Petreni to avoid bombardments; the arrest of the Jewish community by Romanian soldiers; the participation of local townspeople in roundups; the looting of Jewish owned belongings; guarding a group of imprisoned Jews; the mass murder of the Jewish population; local Roma burying the corpses; and the sight of columns of Jews being transported towards Ukraine.

Maria Țibirnac, born in 1924 in Petreni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes her prewar Jewish neighbors; a roundup of local Jews by Romanian soldiers, which included her neighbors; the mass murder of the Jewish population; the sight of corpses in a lake; and a column of Jewish prisoners who were being transported through her village.

Gheorghe Ciobanu, born in 1931 in Petreni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Petreni; the mass murder of the Jewish community by Romanian soldiers; seeing a column of Jewish prisoners guarded by Romanian soldiers; the harsh treatment of the prisoners; and his participation along with local townspeople in the looting of Jewish owned property.

Olga Ivanova, born in 1926 in Varvareuca, Romania (present day Moldova), describes her prewar Jewish neighbors; witnessing the murder of her Jewish neighbors in 1941 by a Romanian soldier; accustions by Romanian soldiers that her sister was Jewish; bringing food to inmates at the Marculesti concentration camp; and a column of Jewish prisoners guarded by Romanian soldiers.

Timofei Cocieru, born in 1925 in Gura Căinari, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Gura Căinari; prewar Cuzist activity; the mass shootings of local Jews by Romanian soldiers; the sight of Jewish prisoners on a forced marched to Marculesti concentration camp; conditions in Marculesti concentration camp; and the robbing of imprisoned Jews by local townspeople.

Mihail Lazarenco, born in 1923 in Lunga, Romania (present day Lunga, Floreşti, Moldova), describes prewar antisemitic activity of Cuzists; being taken to Romania as premilitary; the sight of a column of Jews in Turnu Severin; treatment of the prisoners by Romanian soldiers; his reasoning behind the persecution of the Jews; and sight a column of Roma in Dej which was guarded by Romanian soldiers.

Vasile Cașcaval, born in 1931 in Hirişeni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the imprisonment of Jewish men near his house; hearing a mass shooting of Jews committed by local collaborators; details about the collaborators who assisted in the murder; the looting of Jewish owned property by local collaborators; the burying of the dead; the postwar punishment of collaborators; and the reburying of Jewish victims after the war.

Parascovia Dodii, born in 1925 in Hirişeni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Hirişeni; the sight of local townspeople transporting a group of Jewish men; hearing gunfire from a mass shooting; and seeing the mass murder site.

Jon Roșca, born in 1927 in Hirişeni, Romania (present day Moldova), describes the prewar Jewish community of Hirişeni; the roundup and mass shootings of Jews by local collaborators; the looting of Jewish owned property by local collaborators; and the burial site for the victims of the mass shootings.

Vasile Apostol, born in Hirișeni, Romania in 1929, discusses the prewar Jewish community in his town; witnessing Jewish families forced out of town by local civilians; the arrival of Romanian soldiers; hearing gunfire from a mass shooting; witnessing a second mass shooting; and looting by local villagers.

Parascovia Ionel, born in Băcioi near Chișinau, Romania in 1931, discusses witnessing the roundup of her town’s Jewish community by Romanian forces and local villagers; anti-Jewish violence; witnessing the murder of a Jewish woman; the looting of Jewish property; and her interactions with a Romani man and Jewish woman after the war.

Ion Cârhană, born in Hirova, Romania (Moldova) in 1921, discusses the roundup of his town’s Jewish community by Romanian forests and peasants; guarding their makeshift prison; being asked by Romanian forces to bury bodies because of his pre-military status; witnessing a mass shooting; details of the killing process; his fear during the shooting; burying 82 bodies in mass graves; the shooting of a Jewish man who escaped the mass killing; looting of Jewish property by local villagers; and the arrest by the Soviets after the war of the local villagers who participated in the killing.

Gheorge Cernițan, born in Hirova, Romania (Moldova) in 1922, discusses the size of Hirova’s prewar Jewish community; prewar anti-Jewish violence by followers of the far-right politician A.C. Cuza; witnessing two transports of Jewish men, then women, led out of town; the murder of a young man who escaped the shooting; and the postwar trials of the perpetrators.

Mihail Roșca, born in Hirova, Romania (Moldova) in 1922, discusses the imprisonment of Hirova’s Jewish community in the town hall; witnessing their transport to the woods by local villagers; the murder of a young man who escaped the column; the burial pits; and local involvement in burying bodies.

Vasile Coțaga, born in Vasilcău, Romania (Moldova) in 1925, discusses prewar anti-Jewish violence by followers of the far-right politician A.C. Cuza; witnessing columns of Jews led out of town by Romanian forces; villagers exchanging food for the goods of the imprisoned Jewish population; seeing a concentration camp in the Mălăciui forest; and Jewish forced labor.

Mihail Sandu, born in Rublenița, Romania (now Moldova) in 1927, discusses witnessing a large transport of Jewish men, women and children led by Romanian soldiers to a small concentration camp called Radiac; the torture of Jewish men; the harsh living conditions in the camp; a mass killing in the Odiai woods; and seeing a second transport of Jewish people taken to the killing site.

Vasile Luța, born in Rublenița, Romania (Moldova) in 1928 discusses the arrest and beating of communists by German and Romanian forces; the creation of a petition by local villagers that saved these men’s lives; the roundup of Jewish men, women, and children and their imprisonment in a concentration camp; the harsh conditions in the camp; villagers attempting to provide food to prisoners and being stopped by guards; and witnessing a transport of Jews being led by German and Romanian forces over the Dneister River.

Ion Belous, born in Cosăuți, Romania (Moldova) in 1933, discusses the sieze of Cosăuți prewar Jewish community; being evacuated from Cosăuți during the first two weeks of the war; returning and finding the Jewish community gone; being told that they had been taken to the forest in Mălăciui; seeing the Jewish community in the forest guarded by Romanian forces; seeing a mass grave outside the enclosure; witnessing the removal of the Jewish community across the Dneister River; and seeing local villagers rob the Jewish prisoners of their property.

Petru Zolotariov, born in Cosăuți, Romania (Moldova), discusses the size of Cosăuți's prewar Jewish community; witnessing a large convoy of Jewish people led by Romanian forces that stopped just outside town; local villagers who sold water to the convoy; seeing large numbers of Jewish people in the Mălăciui forest in a makeshift concentration camp; seeing the large burial pits outside the camp; witnessing the Jewish prisonsers being driven away towards Ukraine; and witnessing deportations of Romani people.

Vasile Serbulenco, born Cosăuți, Romania (Moldova) in 1931, discusses the size of the prewar Jewish community; the one Jewish family who returned after the war; witnessing two large convoys of Jewish men, women, and children guarded by Romanian soldiers led towards the Dneister River; and hearing about a concentration camp in the woods.

Ion Sapojnic, born in Cosăuți, Romania (Moldova), discusses the town’s prewar Jewish community; being evacuated when the war began; returning and finding the Jewish community gone; not know what happened to them; witnessing numerous convoys of Jewish men, women, and children being led across the Dneister River by Romanian guards; the harsh conditions on these marches; and witnessing convoys of Romani people led across the river.

Ana Sapojnic, born in Cosăuți, Romania (Moldova) in 1929, discusses the makeshift concentration camp guarded by Romanians in the Mălăciui forest outside her town; the harsh conditions in the camp; seeing a burial pit outside the camp; and witnessing convoys being taken towards the Dneister River.

Liubovi Cioban, born in Iorjnița, Romania (Moldova) in 1930, discusses seeing dead bodies on the street in nearby Soroca; being told that the victims were Jewish; and witnessing a convoy of Jewish men, women, and children being driven through the village by Romanian forces.

Trofim Cioban, born in Cosăuți, Romanian (Moldova) in 1922, discusses being ordered by Romanian guards to carry Jewish people in his cart from the Mălăciui forest to the Dneister River; driving 20 people in his cart; witnessing a mass shooting; and leaving the killing site the next morning.

Constantin Popa, born in Onișcani, Romania (Moldova) in 1930, discusses the size of his town’s prewar Jewish community; the arrival of Romanian, German, and Italian forces at the outset of the war; witnessing a mass shooting; passing out and being revived by other bystanders; the looting of Jewish property; and hearing about a second mass killing on the same site.

Nicanor Dânilă, born in Onișcani, Romania (Moldova) in 1930, discusses the roundup of his town’s Jewish community by German and Romanian forces; a mass shooting in an anti-tank ditch; the murder of a pregnant woman; witnessing a second mass killing; the fate of the perpetrators after the war; looting from Jewish houses and the mass grave; and being paid by a Jewish man after the war to bring the bones to another town for burial.

Fiodor Cobuscan, born in Onișcani, Romania (Moldova) in 1924, discusses witnessing a mass killing of Jews by Romanian forces; details of the killing process; the burial of the bodies by villagers; and the looting of Jewish homes and graves.

Nicolae Batâr, born in Onișcani, Romania (Moldova) in 1925, discusses prewar anti-Jewish violence by followers of the far-right political leader A.C. Cuza; local politics; the outbreak of war between Nazi Germany and the Soviets; some Jewish neighbors evacuating with the Soviet retreat; witnessing a convoy of Jewish men, women, and teenagers led by Romanian forces; following the transport to a killing site; running away when the shooting started; hearing peasants bragging about participating in the killing; rumors that one of the perpetrators was murdered after the war; the collection of bones after the war by a nearby Jewish community; and visiting the gravesite with the interviewer.

Nicolae Crăcium, born in Onișcani, Romania (Moldova) in 1924, discusses prewar anti-Jewish violence by members of the Iron Guard; the outbreak of war; the roundup of the town’s Jewish community; hearing gunfire from a mass shooting; and walking by the burial pits the next day.

Mara Gradinari, born in Coreadanca, Romania (Moldova) in 1923, discusses the size of her town’s prewar Jewish community; witnessing a convoy of Jews rounded up and driven away by German and Romanian forces; witnessing a mass killing; seeing local villagers looting the grave; and the eventual burial of the bodies after several days.

Maria Cibotari, born in Codreanca, Romania (Moldova) in 1934, discusses witnessing a convoy of Jews being driven through town; a mass killing; details of the killing process; the murder of 7 to 8 girls who attempted to escape the convoy; and the informal memorial placed on the grave after the war.

Learn about over 1,000 camps and ghettos in Volume I and II of this encyclopedia, which are available as a free PDF download. This reference provides text, photographs, charts, maps, and extensive indexes.